Roots

For most plants, roots have the role of anchoring the plant in the ground. They also provide a means of taking up water and mineral ions from the soil water that surrounds the roots and the nearby soil particles. The very large surface area of roots and their root hairs is a feature that enables plants to obtain their water supply under many different soil conditions. The vascular tissue within the root provides the route for transport into other parts of the plant, linking with the vascular tissue of the stem. Some roots show adaptations, for example, for storage or for climbing.

Images presented in this section introduce the basic features of roots, as external views and their internal organisation. The first sub-section shows external features of the two basic types of roots: fibrous roots and tap roots, followed by some adaptations shown by roots for storage. Other images show how roots produced from stems (an example of adventitious roots) allow plants to spread by vegetative reproduction. The next sub section looks at internal structures and shows details of the vascular and other tissues in a range of roots. Of particular interest in this section is the use of more sophisticated microscopy techniques, which are able to highlight particular features of the internal structure in an unfamiliar way.


External features of roots and some adaptations
Internal structures and their functions